Heated throw rugs feel like the ultimate in wintertime luxury. To take the simplest winter staple and pump electricity into it until its toasty warm seems like a bit of a waste of energy, but you might actually save a little on your bill this weekend if you rug up instead of turning the heater on.
Having been sick for the last week, and therefore basically living inside my heated throw, I’m a definite convert. Even without a cold or flu factoring in, it’s the perfect accessory for winter Netflix binges.
Heated throws are essentially a snugglier version of the electric blanket. Rather than the products designed to warm up your bed, these are more like a traditional blanket you can wrap around you and cuddle up on the lounge with.
Not only is it cuddly and cozy – if you’re the only person home (or if anyone else around is happy to snuggle with you under the blanket), a heated blanket is far easier on your electricity bill than turning on a space heater and warming up the entire room.
The numbers back it up. A breakdown by the US Department of Energy puts traditional heaters at using 750-1500 watts. Heated throws on the other hand use closer to 400 watts, at a clear advantage over even the most efficient heaters.
While the aforementioned costs aren’t as relevant to us in Australia, it’ll still give you a good idea of what you stand to save – running a heated blanket would only cost $17.60 for the winter according to the DOE’s calculations, while a heater could be between $33 and $66 a year.
You can find heated throws in most homewares or electrics stores, or grab one online from Amazon.
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